Chris Lombardi puts defense and security under the spotlight, as he shares his takes on recent NATO and EU cooperation and provides insight into the company’s own long-term strategic partnerships in Europe.

Three trends are currently driving the global electricity sector: decarbonization, decentralization and differentiation. Utilities are making significant contributions to mitigate carbon emissions, while a technology revolution is …

A borderless Europe has yet to make its presence felt in one part of northern France that is home to the warehouse of an online retailer. Whenever the company receives an order from Belgium, someone has to take the parcel across a border 40 minutes away to mail it from the nearest Belgian post office.

The reason for this is simple: just as barriers to traditional cross-border trade in the European Union are being torn down, the continent’s post-war sovereign borders still rule supreme for anyone operating online. And the problem begins with the nationally-defined postal services, which impose international rates on any package not sent from within the country.

For European retailers exploring web-based business models, the lack of integration in the EU’s virtual marketplace is more than just a bureaucratic headache. If the mosaic of regulatory and market impediments now stifling EU e-commerce were swept away, estimates suggest consumers would stand to gain as much as €204 billion – ie, 1.7% of European gross domestic product.

The complexity and diversity of the impediments facing e-commerce are considerable. A list of bottlenecks compiled by Sweden’s National Board of Trade identifies 20 types of restrictions, ranging from the sale of pharmaceuticals and contact lenses in some EU countries to the way in which search engines list results (with local companies appearing ahead of those based in other EU member countries).

According to e-retailers, the resulting regulatory and commercial landscape is one in which selling wares across national borders is often not worth the effort. This, in turn, means companies in Europe are losing out to competitors in the United States, which rely on a genuine single market to build up the head of steam required to take on the world.

The solution, according to the European Commission, is to create an environment in which consumers can do online everything they could do in the real world. So, if a Belgian shopper can cross into Germany, buy something then take it home in the boot of his or her car, the same should be possible through a web-based retailer.

Yet behind the scenes, Commission officials acknowledge that the biggest threat to e-commerce is now the Council of Ministers. That is because EU leaders have to contend with national authorities and traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers that have no appetite to dismantle state-based protections. The Council is simply not ready to support ambitious reforms backed by the Commission and the Parliament.

However, those arguing for change are riding a wave of enthusiasm for e-commerce driven by consumers. In 2004, 15% of the EU’s population had ordered goods or services over the internet in the three previous months; by 2013 that had more than doubled to 38%. Those figures are bolstering calls for reform coming from Europe’s e-traders.

Ecommerce Europe, representing 25,000 companies selling both products and services online, has outlined five key areas of reform which it believes could unleash the potential of the EU’s online traders. Among its recommendations: a single market for parcel delivery. EU postage stamps may not be too far off.